J&J Circle the British Isles

Places we visited in Ireland

Dublin / Kilkenny, the Rock of Cashel, and Kenmare / The Ring of Kerry and Tralee / Bunratty and Craggaunowen / Dysert Archaeology Centre, Kilfenora, the Burren, and Ennistimon, / Cliffs of Moher, Doolin, and Innishere / Kylemore Abbey and Donegal / Giant’s Causeway and Ballygally

Our Visit to Scotland / Our Visit to England

Connemara, Recess, and Kylemore Abbey

Friday, July 7

Judy felt rally bad last night, and we both ended up going to bed early after dinner in the hotel bar. Finding how bad the laundry was didn’t help. Anyway, we both slept a lot, she felt better (a little better) this morning, and altogether we only lost two articles of clothing in the laundry debacle. Maybe a couple more things that we can squeak by with but not bother to take home.

Judy ironed clothes, we packed, ate breakfast, and headed out to Galway. ‘Corkscrew Hill’ didn’t seem too bad this time. Lots of ‘Toad Sheep,’ beautiful scenery. At first, we still saw huge hills of limestone pavement, off to our right as we skirted the bay. That gradually faded, and after Galway we started seeing huge hills–mountains, I suppose–that looked more like the scenery on Mull. Stopped along the N59 at Joyce’s Craft Shop in Recess. Look at the pictures of the ‘monuments’ there 🙂

Cruised through Clifden and drove on to Kylemore Abbey. Really neat place. Enjoyed the Victorian walled garden, the parts of the house we could see, and the Neo-Gothic church on the grounds. Well-managed place, now run by Benedictine nuns as a school. Amazing to see lots of tour busses there, because the only road –in either direction–is narrow and in bad shape. My hands still hurt from gripping the steering wheel.

After I talked to Martin Enright last week (or earlier this week?), we had asked Jan Cordell to make some adjustments in our hotel reservations to make it easier to attend the Connacht Fléadh. Once again, don’t plan, just prepare. Jan cancelled our second night in Westport, couldn’t add on a night in Donegal, then reinstated our second night here. BUT–the hotel didn’t get the reinstatement. A few phone calls worked things out so we go to Donegal by way of the fléadh tomorrow, check into one hotel, then change to another hotel there on Sunday.

Never a dull moment! This isn’t the best hotel we’ve ever stayed in. Downtown–at least the town is nice–and a very small cramped room. A little warm here, in the room. Cool outside, and something tells me it’ll be noisy. Never a dull moment–again.

Later: it was noisy. Very nice town center. We would have enjoyed resting a day or two here. Just not on a weekend.

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Woke up this morning, the seventh, feeling a bit better, but ate only cereal for breakfast and part of a roll and cheese for lunch.

We drove all day, stopping at Joyce’s crafts in Connemara to see the roadside monuments which read “On this site in 1847, nothing happened,” and a sitting Connemara, god of the sea, which read “erected by Joyce’s Craft Shop for no apparent reason.” Very humorous, but made of Connemara marble.

We drove on to Kylemore Abbey, a former mansion now Abbey and its gardens. Again, long walks but beautiful and a good break in the day.

We arrived in Westport around 5, a small town (Ireland Tidy Town Winner in ’04) and found Westport Inn. It is a small room, one chair, but clean and well appointed bathroom. Reservations for tomorrow had been cancelled so we called and got a reservation in Donegal at a different hotel than the 9th and 10th, but that made Jim happy because he wants to go to a music festival tomorrow nearer Donegal than this.

No chance to enjoy this town or environs. Just moving on tomorrow. I’m ready to settle in somewhere and not travel. Maybe Donegal!

Saturday, July 8

Rain. All day. Along with wind. Not happy.

With Judy’s help, backed out of the terribly small, crooked parking basement before breakfast and loaded the car, ready to strike out for Ballymote. Rain the whole way, but the roads were good. Followed sign for all venues, got to a school where the competition was being held. Kids carrying all sorts of traditional instruments, going into classrooms for adjudication. Didn’t stay long. Were told Martin would be in the town in the afternoon, so went there and parked. Shopped. Bought a shirt. It rained.Had lunch with Mr. Enright, and he talked a lot about the MTNA-like organization that does the competitions.

The dancers couldn’t dance in the rain for the outdoor entertainment, but we heard some of the first céili band play. Four guys, probably our age. It rained so much, we decided not to stay for the “headliner” band that was setting up around 3:00. Drove to Donegal in the blowing rain, hauled suitcases through the rainy streets, and checked in to the Central Hotel for one night. Good meal at the Thai restaurant, so we didn’t have to get out in the rain again!

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We drove in the rain to the small town of Ballymote to meet the man Jim had been in touch with about traditional music. He took us to lunch–soup–and they talked. The band was in a truck, open side, and playing even as it poured rain.

We listened a while but decided it was too miserable to stay and listen. We drove on to Donegal to the Central Hotel for one night, then next door to the Abbey Hotel for two nights.

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Sunday we took a day off and other than walking through Donegal Castle did little but read and relax.

Donegal

Sunday, July 9

This was a lazy day, and we needed it–especially after the rainy day and the tension around not knowing what the fleadh was all about. Then our room at the Central Hotel was on the front, overlooking the square (actually a triangular shape and called “the diamond”). About ten time more street noise than Saturday night in Kenmare. I don’t think it ever stopped. Part of the noise was from a wedding party in the hotel next door–where we are now–and part a kind of general excitement in the town about a “hurling” match in the national tournament. Donegal vs. Armagh. Whatever the reason, noise went on all night long.

We would close the window to shut out the noise–worked well–then open it again when we got so hot we couldn’t sleep. And through it all it rained.We slept off and on until 8:00, a record for the two of us, I think. After a late breakfast it was still raining. We walked a way around the triangular square, but the rain sent us back in.

We had to check out at noon, and the Abbey (next door) let us move our luggage into their office until check in time. We did the castle tour–nice–walked down to the Abbey ruins–now a cemetery. All of this in and around showers that never really cleared up. When we checked in we had another room on the front, but asked for a change. One room didn’t look that good, but the third one is at the back with a nice view of the river. Expecially important with a possible party celebrating the Donegal hurling victory. That was cancelled out front when they lost to Armagh, but I’m sure it’ll still be noisy out there anyway.

We ate supper in the bar and watched the first half of the World Cup final game. Finished it in the room. Soccer is a crazy game.

Monday, July 10

Another lazy day. Sort of had to be. We were three floors above the “party floor,” but the band/DJ made sounds that could shake the floor until almost 4:00. We slept until 8:00, I think. At least until 7:30. A slow beginning and the gray weather made the rest of the day slow as well.

The best part was we didn’t set foot (or butt) in the car.

I walked a lot, went in the Church of Ireland, watched birds and read. We did take the Water Bus tour this afternoon–very nice, even though the rain. Judy’s comments are about the same:

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We continued to do mostly nothing. We did walk the town, around the “Diamond” to “Shop” until 3:30 when we took the Waterbus on a tour of Donegal Bay and saw seals playing in the water. The other “highlight” was my coloring my hair.